Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett came into training camp third on the depth chart behind Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, the rookie who had to earn his keep.
One year later, Pickett is the unquestioned starting quarterback of the Steelers with both Trubisky and Rudolph back in the building, operating as the team’s leader on offense in just his second season.
Pickett was asked if it’s a relief coming into training camp at Latrobe, Pa., in 2023 as the team’s starting quarterback. Pickett responded that the culmination of events since then have him feeling a lot different compared to the last time he set foot on Saint Vincent College.
“Yeah, I think so,” Pickett said to the media Wednesday via audio provided by The Cook and Joe Show. “Just being the guy in spring and taking all the reps and things like that, it’s good stuff to build on from last year. So yeah, it’s definitely a different feeling coming in this year versus last year.”
In his first OTAs, minicamp, and training camp practices, Pickett had to split reps with Trubisky, the presumed starter heading into the regular season, and Rudolph, the experienced veteran who knew Pittsburgh’s system. Still, Pickett wasn’t deterred despite a slow start to training camp last year. He earned more reps as the preseason wore on, eventually overtaking Rudolph as the team’s quarterback behind Trubisky.
The rest is history and Pickett has taken the job of starting quarterback as Pittsburgh hoped he would when they drafted him. He has shown an improved leadership presence this offseason, drawing praise from his teammates for holding them accountable to a standard of excellence that he is aggressively chasing as well.
However, time for talk is over. Now Pickett must display the progression he made from his rookie season to 2023, facing a daunting Steelers defense on a daily basis during training camp. It will be a great test for the second-year quarterback who is looking to prove the Steelers right, showing the rest of the NFL that they found their franchise quarterback of the future.
